It’s been a while since we’ve been able to do this, so here’s a look back at a couple of bonus matches plucked from the WCPW archives! Featuring one match where Matt Striker is at his insufferable best!
Typically live event tapings for WCPW always come with one or two dark matches, which usually get released onto their YouTube channels. At time of writing, the Grado/Prince Ameen match from Bulletproof in March is still MIA – so we’ll probably cover that if/when that surfaces.
Viper vs. Little Miss Roxxy
Taped before WCPW’s Exit Wounds show on March 6, this was a suitably brief outing for Bea Priestley’s “bodyguard”.
Viper launches into Roxxy before the bell, but Roxxy manages to land a jaw breaker, only to run into a headbutt. A big splash gets an early two-count, before Viper pulled up Roxxy into a torture rack, which she turned into Shock Treatment before murdering Roxxy with a back senton for another near-fall.
Roxxy gets pulled up by the nose into a cravat, before she tries a comeback with a few punches to the gut, only to run into a clothesline for another near-fall. An Irish whip and an avalanche follows in the corner, but Viper misses a second as Roxxy rushes back in and lands a dropkick… but Viper barely moves.
Somehow Roxxy managed to hit a delayed crossbody into a tornado DDT for a near-fall, before a second DDT out of the corner is caught and turned into a Northern Lights suplex as Viger finished the squash with a Michinoku driver. A perfectly acceptable squash match – Roxxy got enough in, but given who was getting some of the spotlight and who was getting nothing, this was exactly what you wanted.
The Hunter Brothers (Jim Hunter & Lee Hunter) vs. Prospect (Lucas Archer & Alex Gracie)
Taken from the dark match at the Mexican World Cup Qualifiers at the end of April, this was the latest in a long line of promotions for the Hunters to work in. Matt Striker’s on commentary, so of course he’s going to be insufferable, not only doing the “one fall” crap, but also by making this wise crack about the Hunters:
“Which one is Hearst, and which one is Helmsley?”
It’s almost enough to make you wish for Alex Shane to come back. But not quite.
Jim Hunter starts out with Lucas Archer (you were right first time Dave… you watch these guys enough and you’ll figure out how to tell them apart by their knee-pads. Until they work in ATTACK! and cover those buggers up). I can understand confusing the Hunters, but what’s Matt Striker’s excuse for not being able to tell who is who in Prospect? Apart from just being bad at his job?
Anyway, Jim and Luchas work a wristlock, then move into a tie-up as Jim gets cornered by Prospect, allowing Alex Gracie to come in… and get taken down with an armdrag.
In comes Lee to throw a shoulder tackle for a one-count, and we’re going through shoulder tackles and armdrags as both teams pick up early near-falls. Both Hunters come in as the ring fills up for a series of missed elbows and splashes before we go to the four-way dropkick as everyone stands off.
Jim succeeds with a dropkick to Archer, before a charge into the corner misses and results in a back elbow from Archer for a near-fall. Gracie returns to make Jim Eat De-Feet for a near-fall, which Striker “two… sweets!” as an excuse to put over the crowd which had been dead match long.
A blind tag brings in Lee Hunter as a pair of basement dropkicks earn them a near-fall, as the Hunters frequently exchange tags to keep a fresh brother in. Another blind tag allows Archer to springboard in with a crossbody for a near-fall on Jim, before a running elbow drop gets Lucas another two-count.
Jim finally tags out and bring in Lee for a top rope moonsault press that got the crowd on their feet, before a giant swing gets Archer all dizzy. Lee throws in a basement dropkick for a near-fall as Archer found a way to kick out from that sudden halt, before he shoves away Lee’s superplex attempt and follows back with a missile dropkick.
Both men tag out once more, allowing Gracie to hit a Triple H knee, then strip off to reveal his arse-face trunks. A leaping legdrop follows, as Jim takes a full nelson slam, leaving Lee to take some kicks to the chest, then a back heel to the spine. From there, Prospect hit the Eat Defeat/side Russian legsweep combo as Archer tried to follow-up with a Worm… and missed badly. Gracie’s left to try and make the most of it, but he runs into a couple of superkicks as Archer returns with a tope con hilo, before a headlock driver/stroke combination get Prospect the win. A pretty good dark match, perhaps with a little too much in the way of crowd apathy in the early going before things settled down. **¾
Now, can we please get rid of Matt Striker? Or just cut his mic a little?